drawing a 1911...when to thumb safety off

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ChefJeff1

ChefJeff1

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So, when drawing a 1911 from a Horizontal shoulder holster, when do you thumb the safety off? And is it the same from strong side belt holster??

I'm asking for a friend who bought his first 1911 yesterday, a Taurus 1911ss. He doesn't have internet. I have only revolvers but after looking at his new piostol, that might change.:evil:

thanks
 
Thanks, I figured that but my revolvers don´t have a safety. That makes sense with the "keeping your finger off the trigger until ready to fire" rule.
 
When I draw from the belt, it comes off as I raise the pistol to the target. When I draw from shoulder, it is as I come around to the target. I put it back on if I lower the pistol. I rest my thumb on the safety lever.

Just because you take it off-safe doesn't mean you are ready to fire. You still don't have your finger on the trigger.
 
When the muzzle is oriented toward the target the safety comes off. You may have to fire from retention, who knows?
 
In a self defense situation, it comes of as you are drawing. When the gun is up to the threat it needs to already be ready to go
 
You need to practice often and alot. Make the move mind/muscle fluent. There are no redo's when you have to do it for real. Especially, when in the line of duty in law enforcement.

Fortunately, we use Glocks and not 1911's. Single action only weapons are a thing of the past.
 
It comes off as I draw it from the holster...... That being said I would be very careful about the muzzle covering something I wouldn't want destroyed.... this is complicated by the horizontal shoulder holster.

IMO, flicking the safety on and off is a bit silly and complicates the actions required. You pulled the gun because you needed it, you finger should stay off the trigger until ready to fire..... no extra safety flicking needed. I'm not sure why a 1911 would go off without you pulling the trigger provided the gun is mechanically sound.
 
Only when you've acquired a target. In transition there is danger that you may put your finder on the trigger too soon and fire prematurely...

Yes - a lot of practice is needed to keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
 
Fortunately, we use Glocks and not 1911's. Single action only weapons are a thing of the past.
Click to expand...

The is a Kimber Warrior in my duty holster right now. There are still a lot of 1911 type weapons being carried by LE around here. At least 4 in the agency I work for.

The safety comes off as you draw. In an LE environment if it's not a shoot situation such as making an arrest at gunpoint it goes back on once the weapon is drawn. But it always comes off on the draw. You don't want to be fumbling to take it off if you are going to shoot immediately and your muscle memory says to wait until you are ready to fire.
 
Cocked and Locked 1911

When I switched from a 357 mag. to a 1911 45ACP one of the older Deputies talked to me about it. He told me to practice drawing my 45 in front of a full length mirror.I was told to flip the safety off as I drew the weapon but not to place my finger in the trigger guard until I was ready to fire.Every Deputy I knew always carried cocked and locked. This old Deputy said you have to practice so much that it becomes second nature about flipping the safety off because when someone is popping a cap at you you don't have time to think just react.I believed him.
 
I first learn to flick it off on the draw also...the trigger finger never goes into the trigger guard until the muzzle is on target.

As I became more practiced, I didn't flick it off until the muzzle was on target.. Since the strong thumb rides the thumb safety throughout it's deployment, the thumb swipes off the safety at the same time as your finger is entering the trigger guard.

One of the best instructors I've every known...and a GM of the 1911...describes it the best:

The thumb rides the safety lever as part of the Master grip in the holster, before the draw begins. It stays there as the gun in rotated toward the target.

It is only after the muzzle is pointed toward the target and the shooter has made the conscious decision to shoot that the thumb safety is swiped off as the trigger finger enters the trigger guard. Should a shot not be needed, the trigger finger comes out of the guard first and then the thumb safety is flipped back on.

Since the thumb and trigger finger move together, there is no delay waiting for the thumb safety to be taken off. This process avoids any chance that the trigger finger entering the trigger guard early could result in a ND
 
Now I'm confused. Some say the safety comes off as you draw the weapon. Some say the safety comes off when you acquire a target. I can only assume that because of different training methods the answers may vary. I hope everyone is in agreement to KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER until ready to fire.

Training is the key but also remember to PROPERLY train. You can train Bad Habits as easy as Good Habits.
Mike
 
Training differs as to when, where and for which purpose...it isn't the same for everyone...and a lot of it is dependent on your level of training.

One side is that, when a non-LEO draws a gun, his intention is to shoot as soon as he can and the safety should come off as soon as possible.

On the other side, LEOs spend more time holding a suspect at gunpoint than actually shooting them. The number of times the gun is pointed far surpasses the number of actual shootings. It makes sense that the safety not come off until the gun is already on target and the conscious decision has been made to shoot.

The question you should answer is a matter of safety. Is the risk of shooting yourself, or having a ND, truly compromised by waiting until the muzzle is on the intended target. Under the stress of trying to get a quick shot off, how sure are you that your trigger finger won't stray into the trigger guard and onto the trigger.

There is an observation that the higher the level of training that you have achieved, the less likely you are to place your finger on the trigger...after all, you practice it all the time. I will offer the additional observation that it was at the higher levels of competition that they discovered that it was a better idea to not take off the safety until the muzzle was pointed downrange
 
With a 1911, in a LE situation, my thumb is under the safety pushing up on it to MAKE SURE IT IS ENGAGED.... If I have to transition to a targeting mode, the thumb is moved to the top of the safety to enable it's release.. When not targeting, my finger is out of the guard, when targeting, in the guard..

In a really bad, CQB, Bear Huggin free for all, the safety can be wiped with pressure on the the trigger, and the hammer will fall. I've actually found myself in one of those, and it may have prevented an accidental discharge wile I ad to use the only thing I had available to me to fend the guy off and do some dental work for him... My 1911...

That is why I keep my thumb under the safety until acquisition and ready to fire... Its also a good tip to know if you need that quick belly shot.. BTW... Try and keep em at arms length... when you don't it can slip into a high speed SUC in a heartbeat... Sometimes a crackhead won't take NO for and answer..
 
Safety off when the muzzle clears leather. If the muzzle clears leather then the s*** has already hit the fan.
 
my friends main purpose for buying this gun, besides it being his first handgun, is mainly for woods-fishing carry.

Does this change the situation any? threats would most likely be wildlife.
 
eddism said:
Single action only weapons are a thing of the past.
Click to expand...

LOL maybe you should look into how many 1911's are sold yearly for defensive and LE carry.

Thing of the past huh.... that's too funny.

I thumb the safety down during the draw, after the muzzle has cleared the holster and is moving up and out.
 
leadcounsel said:
Only when you've acquired a target. In transition there is danger that you may put your finder on the trigger too soon and fire prematurely...

Yes - a lot of practice is needed to keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
Click to expand...

What do you do if you have a Glock then?
 
I would like for someone to change my mind about flicking the safety on and off. It really seems to me that by near constant operation of the safety introduces more opportunities to get it wrong especially under high pressure.

In my mind training to: safety off as it clears the holster, finger off trigger until ready to fire is way cleaner, simpler, easier and less prone to error than constantly evaluating which position to place the safety in.

Combine that with the fact the gun should not go off without an action on the trigger, and I cannot imagine any good reasons to wait until the target is aquired. I just don't see the advantage.
 
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